Gary Hughes (Born 7 July 1964 in Manchester, England)

Gary is a rock… Read Full Bio ↴Gary Hughes (Born 7 July 1964 in Manchester, England)

Gary is a rock vocalist most famous for his work with the British hard rock TEN.

Gary Hughes is considered to be one of the greatest singer in the AOR/Hard Rock scene. He has been compared to such rock legends as David Coverdale and Robert Plant.

As a solo artist he released until then three albums: Big Bad Wolf (1989), Strength of Heart (1991) and Gary Hughes (1993). In 1995 Gary began to write what he thought would be two new solo albums, but in 1996 he was joined on the recordings by former Dare members Vinny Burns and Greg Morgan. The sound thus became more band-oriented and the band TEN was born. Veteran producer, Mike Stone (Queen, Journey, Kiss) was brought in to oversee and mix the first of the albums, and the band’s self-titled début album, was finished. The album was warmly acclaimed by the fans and press, especially in the UK and Japan, In Japan they were ouselling huge Rock bands reaching sales of 50.000 records.

After less than one year came The Name of the Rose, still today considered by many to be Ten’s best album to date. The title track was voted “Song Of The Year” by the readers of BURRN! in Japan.

The band was then completed with John Halliwell (guitar), Ged Rylands (keyboards) and Shelley (also from DARE on bass).

The following album, The Robe was a huge step forward in the sound of TEN, leading strongly towards epic and majestic atmospheres and influences. Songs like the title track, "Arcadia" and "Ten Fathoms Deep" are considered to be amongst the best expressions of the British hard rock of the 90's. However, their major commercial success - especially in Europe - came with their following album: Spellbound, in 1999.

The record had all the elements which decreed the vast success of TEN within the hard rock fans: melody and class, but also power and epic atmospheres, inherited by the tradition of the British bands of the 70's such as Rainbow, Thin Lizzy and UFO.

A few line-up changes (most notably Steve McKenna taking on bass duties and Don Airey and Paul Hodson later on keyboards) did not really change the musical styles and success of the band that also gathered a great exposure and acclaim with the following release Babylon, a concept album based on a futuristic story of a computer programmer and his tragic love affair.

The following two records Far Beyond the World(2001) and Return to Evermore (2004, which saw the début of the new guitar ace Chris Francis, taking the place of Vinny Burns) served only to solidify the band’s reputation for great music and exquisite arrangements in great melodic hard rock fashion.

To mark the band’s 10th anniversary, a two disc album The Essential Collection was issued in January 2006, comprising the best Rockers and Ballads re-recorded in the style of how the band currently play their music. Ten’s most recent appearance was in March this year at the Atarfe Vega Rock Festival in Spain[citation needed], where they appeared to great critical acclaim along side WASP, Twisted Sister and Stryper.

Ten’s latest album is The Twilight Chronicles. It is a mixture of rock and ballads with a strong atmospheric mood and lyrics that tell tales of love, lust, death, glory, revenge and darkness.

Once again the album has been penned by Gary Hughes, who consistently delivers songs of immense quality and who must in fact rate amongst the worlds most accomplished and consistent songwriters for the last decade. The album is considered to be quite cinematic in nature; it features mighty orchestral passages and boasts all the usual opus of hooks, riffs, haunting melodies and themes that is always expected and associated with any Ten release.

In creating this new album, Ten has risen the standard once again for all other bands of similar following[citation needed]. Ten has now entered their second decade at the top of their genre, and with albums and material of this calibre they will surely be there for a great many years to come.

The current lineup for Ten circa May 2006 are Gary Hughes – Vocals, Chris Francis – Guitars, John Halliwell – Guitars, Paul Hodson – Keyboards

Shapeshifter
Gary Hughes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Morgana]

The perfect spell, you could not resist,
I cast it well, beguiled and bewitched,
The evening fell and knocked like before,
But this time Hell had come to your door,

Trick of the light, (Shape)

Shapeshifter,
Thief in the night, behind a lovers disguise,
Dream (Hey)
Shapeshifter,
Tracing the face of a lie your eyes betray

My changling heart can mould you within
This fire starts with vegeance and sin,
I guide your hands, control every move
I steal your love, I win and you loose

Trick of the light, (Shape)
Shapeshifter,
Thief in the night, behind a lovers disguise,
Dream (Hey)
Shapeshifter,
Tracing the face of a lie your eyes
betrayTrick of the light, (Shape)
Shapeshifter,
Thief in the night, behind a lovers disguise,
Dream (Hey)
Shapeshifter,
Tracing the face of a lie your eyes betray

The perfect spell, you could not resist
I cast it well, beguiled and bewitched,
The evening fell but noy like before
You've taste Hell and still you wants more,

Trick of the light, (Shape)
Shapeshifter,
Thief in the night, behind a lovers disguise,
Dream (Hey)
Shapeshifter,
Tracing the face of a lie your eyes
betrayTrick of the light, (Shape)
Shapeshifter,
Thief in the night, behind a lovers disguise,
Dream (Hey)

Shapeshifter,
Tracing the face of a lie your eyes betray

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Gary Hughes's song Shapeshifter are told from the perspective of Morgana, a sorceress who has cast a spell on her lover. The first verse begins with Morgana boasting about her ability to cast the "perfect spell" that her lover could not resist. She describes herself as "beguiled and bewitched," indicating that she has been able to control her lover's thoughts and actions. The second line of the verse, "The evening fell and knocked like before, But this time Hell had come to your door," suggests that the spell has ominous consequences. The following verse speaks about Morgana's "changeling heart" and her ability to "mold" her lover. She also reveals that her intentions are not pure, claiming that the fire between them is fueled by "vengeance and sin." The chorus is repeated several times throughout the song and describes Morgana as a "shapeshifter" who takes on a "lover's disguise" to conceal her true nature. She is able to manipulate her lover into doing her bidding and ultimately steals his love.

The lyrics to Shapeshifter tell a cautionary tale about the dangers of falling under someone's spell. Morgana is a powerful figure who knows how to manipulate those around her. She preys on her lover's vulnerabilities and is able to control him completely. The use of the word "shapeshifter" in the chorus is particularly telling, as it suggests that Morgana is not who she appears to be. The repetition of the chorus underscores this idea and creates a dramatic effect. Overall, the song is a compelling exploration of love, power, and betrayal.

Line by Line Meaning

The perfect spell, you could not resist,
You were unable to resist the spell I cast.

I cast it well, beguiled and bewitched,
The spell was perfectly cast and had you beguiled and possessed.

The evening fell and knocked like before,
The night came with familiarity, like it had before.

But this time Hell had come to your door,
However, this time, I brought the torment of hell to your doorstep.

Trick of the light, (Shape)
I am a master of illusions and can change form at will.

Shapeshifter,
My ability to shift forms is based on deception and not reality.

Thief in the night, behind a lovers disguise,
I am sneaky and disguised in a way that suggests love and trust.

Dream (Hey)
Yet, my true form is not what it seems.

Shapeshifter,
My constant shifting renders it impossible for you to know my true intentions.

Tracing the face of a lie your eyes betray
I observe your every move and exploit your weaknesses to draw you closer to me, despite the dishonesty.

My changling heart can mould you within
My heart, which is forever changing and adapting, is capable of molding and manipulating you to do my bidding.

This fire starts with vegeance and sin,
The passion I have for destruction and revenge fuels the spell I cast.

I guide your hands, control every move
I am in control of you and dictate your actions, whether you realize it or not.

I steal your love, I win and you loose
I take advantage of your love and use it to my advantage. This is my victory, and your loss.

You've taste Hell and still you wants more,
Despite the pain and anguish I inflicted upon you, you still crave and succumb to my spells.

Contributed by James A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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